Grilled Zucchini Slices made into Lasagna for a low-carb and gluten-free treat! I love this method of making lasagna with thick slices of barely-grilled zucchini replacing the noodles, and this is a favorite zucchini dish I look forward to every fall. And this tasty Grilled Zucchini Lasagna is South Beach Diet friendly!

This recipe for Grilled Zucchini Low-Carb Lasagna is for vegetable gardeners in the northern hemisphere who might be wondering how to use those huge zucchinis that suddenly seem to appear overnight when the garden is winding down. For years I've been making "lasagna" using zucchini in place of the lasagna noodles, and this is one of my favorite uses for those monster zucchinis that are inevitable if you have a garden. Now that I am temporarily without a garden, I buy giant zucchini at the farmers market to make this!

Grilling the zucchini removes some of the liquid that might otherwise make the lasagna too watery, and if you don't have an outdoor grill you could certainly do this on a stove-top grill pan. Of course, using zucchini instead of pasta makes a version of lasagna that's low-carb, gluten-free, and South Beach Diet friendly, (and could easily be vegetarian without the sausage in the sauce) but it's delicious as well!

(Grilled Zucchini Low-Carb Lasagna was updated with better photos and instructions in September 2014 for Phase One Fridayswhere I feature Phase One Recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites.)

You can use round slices if your zucchini isn't that straight, but I prefer lengthwise slices about 5/8 inch thick. Brush the zucchini slices on both sides with olive oil, adding a sprinkle of Italian Herb Blend if you'd like. Grill on the first side until you have nice grill marks, about 3-4 minutes. Then turn and cook a few minutes on the second side, until the zucchini is partially cooked but not completely soft.

While I was cooking the zucchini I simmered my Sausage and Basil Marinara Sauce so it would be really thick. (If you don't want to make sauce from scratch, see the recipe below for an alternate. Spread the cooked zucchini out on a large cutting board and use a paper towel to press down and remove as much liquid as you can. Beat the eggs and then mix in the cottage cheese. (Don't skip the eggs; they help hold this together.)

Spray the dish with olive oil or non-stick spray and then make a layer of the grilled zucchini. Cover that with half the sauce, about 1 1/2 cups of the thick sauce. Then make a layer with half the cottage cheese mixture, followed by a layer with half the cheese. (I used a low-fat Mozzarella blend from Costco that has a little bit of low-fat cheddar.)

Repeat to make another layer each of grilled zucchini, sauce, cottage cheese-egg mixture, and cheese. Bake at 400F/200C for 30-40 minutes, or until the lasagna is bubbling and the top is starting to brown. I baked mine uncovered, but you can cover with foil if it starts to look too brown. This will be juicier than regular lasagna, so let it sit at least 10-15 minutes before cutting.

And lasagna is definitely not that photogenic, but I hope I have improved on the original photo from 2008 when I first posted this recipe.

It's important to use a dish that's fairly deep for this recipe. The first time I made this I used a dish that was 9" x 11" and 3" deep. This time I used my new lasagna pan that was 12.5" x 10" and 3" deep, which worked a lot better. I would use the larger amounts of cottage cheese and egg for if you have a deep pan like this.)

If you don't have homemade sauce, heat one tablespoon olive oil in frying pan with high sides. Squeeze the turkey Italian sausage out of the links, and cook until it's nicely browned, breaking apart with a turner or potato masher as it cooks. (Most turkey sausage will release some liquid; just cook until that evaporates.) When the sausage is brown, add the jar of sauce and rinse out the jar with about 1/2 cup water. Simmer until the sauce mixture is reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes, then stir in the chopped fresh basil if using.

Preheat oven to 400F. Brush grill or stove-top grill pan with olive oil or spray with grill spray and preheat to high heat. (You can only hold your hand there for a few seconds at that heat.) While grill heats, cut zucchini into slices about 5/8 inch thick. Brush both sides of zucchini lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian Herb Blend if using. Grill zucchini slices until they're lightly browned on both sides, but not fully cooked, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the zucchini slices to a cutting board and press lightly with a paper towel to absorb some of the moisture. (Put zucchini between two pieces of paper towel if it seems especially juicy.)

Beat eggs in small bowl, then stir in cottage cheese. (If using homemade sauce, be sure it has reduced to 3 cups.)

Spray heavy ceramic or glass lasagna dish with non-stick spray or olive oil. Then make a layer of lasagna slices, a layer with half the sauce, a layer with half the cottage cheese-egg mixture, and a layer with half the cheese. Top with second layer of grilled lasagna slices, sauce, cottage cheese-egg mixture, and remaining cheese.

Bake 30-40 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned on top and mixture is slightly bubbling. (I hate to cover it with foil because the cheese always sticks to the foil, but you can cover it for part of the time if you don't want the top quite so brown.) Let sit at least 10-15 minutes before cutting, then cut into pieces and serve hot. (This will be a little juicier than regular lasagna, letting it sit for a few minutes will help with that.)

This keeps very well in the fridge for several days and it might even be better re-heated, because some of the juice absorbs into the zucchini when it's refrigerated! I would not recommend freezing.

For anyone who's following the South Beach Diet, this dish with zucchini instead of pasta and sauce made with turkey Italian Sausage is a much better choice than regular lasagna. However, this does have a fairly generous amount of cheese, so even though this would be okay for any phase of the diet, it's probably a "once in a while" treat for Phase One. It would be suitable for most other types of low-carb diet plans.

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you're a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

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61 comments:

Not sure if I should be upset with my mind or with you. If I've seen this here before then we can blame my sieve like brain. If you've just been keeping this underwraps, then I'll blame you. Zucchini becomes pasta - radically wonderful!! Beautiful lasagna serving Kalyn.

Back some years ago when the idea was first circulated to use zucchini instead of pasta, I tried a recipe or two and was very disappointed. But I think it was the SAUCE I was disappointed in. Now that just the hint of Autumn is in the air I am ready to do more of this kind of cooking. Kalyn - have you frozen this? Does the zucchini become watery when you do? Thanks for the reminder to make this casserole, and I'll definitely use your method - particularly of grilling the zucchini (more flavor). Thanks!

Carolyn, you need a rather thick sauce or it will be watery. I think grilling the zucchini adds a lot. I have frozen it, and it's definitely better freshly made but not too bad frozen as long as you use a thick sauce and grill first.

This sounds good! My husband is working on losing weight so he's eating a lower carb diet. I'm always on the lookout for new recipes. Thanks for sharing this simple & creative idea! I'll try it the next time I get a zucchini.~ Leanne

this sounds amazing. I just found an Italian deli in my town that makes the most delicious hot Italian sausage, and I still can't get enough of the summer's zucchini. i might have to set aside time this weekend to make this.

Wow, that looks delicious! I have frequently made a similar dish using a combination of eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash, plus spinach if I can fit it in there, but I never thought of adding cottage cheese and eggs. I may have to try your version this weekend!

Thanks for reposting...I've done it before with grilled eggplant (or roasted slices) before, but never zucchini. I'll have to give this a try seeing as how my current beau is not an eggplant fan, but he loves my cooking and eating SB with me. Yay, so excited to try!

I made this last night with some leftover, thick meat-sauce. I had never had a zucchini lasagna before, and I was really impressed! The only downside was how watery the bottom was - it didn't ruin the taste, but it is visually unappealing.

I couldn't grill the zucchini because of the artic weather here in MN, so I browned them in a pan instead. Do you think that was why it was so watery, or is there another secret that I am missing?

Scott, glad you liked it. I do think that the zucchini will never absorb the liquid the way noodle do, but I did choose to grill it because grilling dries up the zucchini. Maybe try taking a paper towel after you cook the zucchini and gently press on it to absorb some of the moisture. A stovetop grill pan might be a good option too.

We have made this recipe a few times over the past couple years and it always turns out watery. We grill it everytime, but the zucchini don't seem to dry out. Could it be the size of the zucchini that make the difference? We only find small ones in the grocery store, and the ones in your pictures look the size of eggplant.

Hi Rebecca,I don't think it's the small zucchini that's the problem. There are a couple of things you can try. You can salt the zucchini and let it draw out the water, then blog it off with a paper towel. (I think that's rather a pain though.) What I might try is grilling the zucchini, then putting it between two layers of paper towel and gently pressing so it absorbs some of the moisture in the zucchini. You might also try cooking down the sauce a little so it's a bit thicker.

Now I want lasagna and your healthy version for sure, Kalyn! I picked up zucchini at the store yesterday, but not large ones. I still think I could make them work though, using a smaller baking dish and making a smaller amount for the two of us. It's been a good while since I've made lasagna and it's one of hubby's favorites. I don't think he'll mind the zucchini lasagna noodles at all. ;-)

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